Research in Motion Changes Its Name to BlackBerry

Research in Motion, a telecommunication and wireless equipment company mostly known for its BlackBerry-branded smartphones, has announced that it will now operate around the world under the iconic name BlackBerry, just ahead of the release of the highly-anticipated Blackberry 10 platform.

Originally, Research in Motion worked with with RAM Mobile Data and Ericsson to on a two-way paging and wireless email service, which was launched back in 1998. In 2003, RIM unveiled its first BlackBerry smartphones with QWERTY keyboards, which supported push email, mobile telephone, text messaging, Internet faxing, Internet browsing and other wireless information services, essentially transforming the industry of corporate and wireless communications.

Since the early 2000s, RIM’s business has been focused around BlackBerry ad it is logical for the company to adopt the name of its BlackBerry smartphone to coincide with the launch of its new mobile computing platform, BlackBerry 10. The move consolidates the company’s brand into a single cohesive global presence.

“This change from Research In Motion to BlackBerry comes at a defining moment in our company’s history. RIM created the first BlackBerry smartphone and changed the way millions of people around the world stay connected. We have used that same ingenuity and innovation to redefine mobile computing with BlackBerry 10. As we launch BlackBerry 10 around the world, now is the right time to adopt the iconic BlackBerry name,” said Thorsten Heins, president and chief exec of the company.

As part of the move, the Company will now trade as “BB” on the Toronto Stock Exchange and “BBRY” on the NASDAQ. The changes to the company’s ticker symbols will be effective at the start of trading on Monday, February 4, 2013. The company’s website has changed to www.blackberry.com and soon company email addresses will migrate to @blackberry.com suffix.

“Outside of North America, we are known solely as BlackBerry and the strength of the brand has opened doors in new and emerging markets. We now represent a company with a clear global brand and cohesive global marketing approach,” said Frank Boulben, chief marketing officer of BlackBerry.